Caramel Copyright And Creative Commons Trail Mix
It is difficult to talk about copyrighting one’s blog without sounding a bit hoity-toity. Well, let me rephrase that. It is difficult to talk about copyrighting my blog without sounding hoity-toity.
Before reading the next paragraph, pop over to the linguistics center of your brain, and conjure a sophisticated Dame Judy Dench or Dr. Frasier Crane accent. Now use this accent to read the following:
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author, including, but not limited to, placenta fun, bouncy ball catastrophes, crotch-licking cats, dorks writing on treadmills, diaper-crapping man babies, KY Jelly sandwiches, sunburned privates, and conversations with Mr. Nasty Pants, is strictly prohibited.
If your mental voice shifted to Larry the Cable Guy, don’t feel bad. I’m sure you are not alone.
And if you noticed the numerous personal plugs inserted into that paragraph, I hope you will revel in your astuteness and keep it to yourself. No need to gossip about my insecure narcissism.
But my point is, do I need to copyright my blog? The thought of anyone burglarizing my written dung seems laughable. In fact, just like a professional athlete, I’m more than happy to spread my seed around. If a copyright symbol took up vigil on my site, would those lovely reblogs be possible? I don’t know about you, but I rather enjoy blog-pollination.
Okay. I hear you. What if my content appears but not the credit, someone masking the material as his or her own? Once past the question of “why the hell would they?”, I need to ask myself, “Would I sue if they did?”
From what I’ve read, litigation is what it comes down to. If you don’t plan to sue, then probably no need for the C in the circle tattoo.
But wait. There’s more.
During my research, nicely accompanied by Caramel Cashew Trail Mix, one tasty morsel per mouse click, I also discovered something called Creative Commons. This is not a place in the Student Union where liberal arts students get naked and recite poetry—I know, I was surprised, too. Rather Creative Commons is a sort of middle ground in the Internet age, a sliding scale of protection, if you will, where some materials may be used without permission of the creator, while others require a “Please, Sir or Madam, can I post your drivel on my blog?”
I found a lovely comparison in an apropos blog post entitled Copyright Vs. Creative Commons. And as a side note, to these and other bloggers who offer helpful advice, thereby creating a more understandable online world, I sincerely thank you.
I, on the other hand, will continue to pollute and debase the medium.
So which trail mix goodie do you choose?
The rigid copyright cashew? The sweeter Creative Commons M&M? Or, like me thus far, the risky and sticky, no-protection, rot-your-teeth, chocolate-covered caramel ball?
But remember, as with every taste-bud pleaser, preferences are subject to change. Indeed, if I start dropping teeth faster than a caveman with an animal hide full of snuff, I may need a little more protection.
How do the rest of you feel? Have you copyrighted your blog? Use Creative Commons? If you share your thoughts with me, I’ll share my trail mix with you.
Oops. Sorry. It’s gone.
Cartoon images from Microsoft Clip Art
* * *
Other helpful resources I found during my high-calorie research:
Is Creative Commons Right for Your Blog
Should You Register Your Blog with the U.S. Copyright Office
Copyright vs. Creative Commons: How Creative Commons licenses compromise your rights
Related articles
- Creative Commons License – Protecting your copyright online (showard76.wordpress.com)
- Copyrighting our Contents: A List of Free Services That Protects Our Works (lifebydmagdalene.wordpress.com)
- Creative Commons Simplified (techfleece.com)







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Just starting out in the blogosphere. This is a super helpful thing to consider. Thanks!
Glad I could offer something useful along with my usual snark.
Thanks for stopping by!
I have to confess I know nothing about copyrighting a blog. Both my manuscripts are copyrighted. But the blog, I never really thought about it. Thanks for bringing this to my attention and putting it on my radar.
Glad I could give you one more thing to worry, er, I mean, think about.
LOL. Always appreciate when someone gets me thinking…and worrying.
you know, i think it’s really up to the individual. i copyright mine because i think it deters SOME people, sort of like a ‘this house has an alarm’ sticker, even if there’s no actual alarm in the house. mainly, i do it because i’m a comedy writer and i may use what i’ve written somewhere else like in a comedy submission packet or something like that. and at the very off chance that something goes viral of mine and i don’t include the copyright, someone else could easily claim it as theirs. that’s my thought process, anyway. but, there is some truth to taking the copyright off and encouraging as many people to use it as possible, as long as they provide link-backs, a ala the site: zen habits. anyway, nice post and that’s my two cents. – mother
I am very happy to have your two cents! I wonder, for those who copyright, do they register every 3 months as recommended for blogs, since the content is always new, or just do a one time registration as they would for a novel or other piece of work.
Thanks for stopping by. So happy to have discovered your blog. I am a big believer that laughter keeps the soul lighter (and for cynics like me, that is very important!)
I used to obsess about the whole copyright thing before I took the blogging plunge – what if someone stole my work?? How awful would that be? Then I got real. My work is copyrighted as soon as it’s committed to paper, screen, whatever and there’s not much I can do about theft (because that’s what it is) except hope that the majority of people will be honourable enough to give a credit, and rant about the injustice if they aren’t. As several posts have already noted, you need a lot of time and money for litigation.
I don’t put much of my writing in progress on my blog, because I’m still a little bit scared, but if someone were to steal a few paragraphs, I’d like to think they wouldn’t be able to complete the whole novel as I intended it.
Anyway, who’s got the time to do all this checking?? I’d rather be writing. Maybe I’ll change my mind when I get to be famous.
Sorry, I’m ranting…. Great post
That’s pretty much my mindset, though I might go with the Creative Commons. It could make me look more important.
Thanks for stopping by!
Very clever presentation. I think I’ll copy and paste it onto my blog to use later.
Actually this is something I rarely think about. I think about a lot of weird unimportant crap, but not this copyright thing. In the long run it probably doesn’t matter that much for me. It would almost be cool to see something I wrote published under someone elses names. Kind of odd bragging rights in a way.
Lee
An A to Z Co-Host
Tossing It Out
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
Ha! Good one!
Yes, my feathers haven’t ruffled too much over the concept yet, and like I said, as long as there is a credit in there somewhere for me, I don’t have a problem. However, if I stumbled upon a blog that had a post eerily similar to mine but no mention of me, I might start crowing. Even so, I don’t think it would bother me as much as say a poem I had written that someone used as their own. But since I pay the world a huge favor by not writing poetry, I am safe there.
Thanks so much for stopping by and weighing in. I really enjoyed checking out your blog–found the post on product placement interesting. Hadn’t thought about that in terms of writing. You have just been added to my Google reader!
You are copyrighted the second you hit the post button. The trick is, wether or not you want to enforce your copyright. Even if you had your work “registered” it would still be up to you to enforce that copyright… and the lawyer someone spoke to in these responses is probably right. When you are talking about a blog post, is it really worth it? Legal proceedings are expensive.
I have a “legal stuff” page that says people need permission. And I’ve actually had people contact me even just to link back, which I thought was a little funny.
I think in most cases “theft” in a blog situation is not really done in a sinister way. An author friend of mine had it happen, nicely pointed it out to the person, and they then just gave him credit. I think most people would be too afraid if they got “caught” to keep doing it.
I agree. I suspect very little gets pursued legally. As you point out, I imagine if someone was to reproduce the work of another, asking them to remove it would probably be the only action needed. Or at least I would hope so. Then again, what are the odds of even discovering your work (and I’m referring to mostly blogs here) has been pilfered?
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Appreciate it.
My friend, Author Jon Gibbs had it happen to him recently. He stumbled upon it. They copied his blog post and pasted it into their own. They appologized profusely and gave him credit.
He found it by accident, though. It would be hard to watch for EVERYTHING.
Hard to imagine someone would copy and paste another person’s work with no quotation marks or credit. Not only seems a bit lazy, but also hard to believe it was an accidental lapse of judgment. A bit tacky, to say the least.
Hoity-Toity is good! I say, copywrite.
Noted and appreciated!
I have a “friend” on Facebook who was stealing my stuff and reposting it as her own. She would literally write “I’m stealing that!” and then….steal it. I was gonna defriend her but then I decided it was kind of funny. That was before I started a blog though. If she stole any of my blog material I’d cut her with my candy cane shiv. No questions asked.
Always good to have a candy cane shiv at the ready. (I wonder if prison guards know of the dangers those Christmas treats might pose?!) And if any of the rest of you wonder what we’re talking about, you’ll have to visit Stacie’s terrific site to find out.
It is hard for me to imagine taking someone’s material and posting it as your own. I guess that’s my honest upbringing speaking. And to do it so blatantly in front of you! I suppose in some sense, it’s a compliment. Hopefully she’s tapped into her own creative side by now…
Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for the shout out Carrie! Apparently (again, FB), she’s on a “no sugar diet” now so maybe the lack of fiendish sugar highs will make her a nicer person. =)
Where can I get myself one of these candy cane shivs of which you speak?
Well, of course, Stacie is the candy weapons expert, but I believe she just slurps that candy cane right down until one end is sharp and deadly. Never know when it might come in handy…
http://staciechadwick.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/an-interview-you-will-never-read-in-the-local-paper/
This is something I haven’t given enough thought. Like you, I’d wonder why someone would want to “steal” my posts. But I do have snippets of my books on my blog, and I wouldn’t want them “stolen.” But I think if a lawsuit was ever warranted, WordPress would have the data logs to verify when material was posted and by whom.
In addition to that, I keep regular electronic backups of my works-in-progress, thus computer time/date-stamping them. I also keep all the emails in which I discuss my books, send scenes to friends/readers, etc. Again, in a court case, those would help document and establish what I had written and when.
I also see a lot of agent and editor advice that says we shouldn’t copyright material on our websites or blogs. So it isn’t easy to decide which path to take.
So I should probably go do some thinking … and maybe grab a snack!
I agree that in this day and age it should be easier to document when something was created. I think the difficulty lies in proving that someone’s material was taken from yours, unless, of course, the material is literally word for word.
And I too have read completely opposite opinions from those in the business, so it is hard to know how to proceed.
Thanks as always for stopping by and sharing your insights!
Hi and thanks for the link to my blog. Copyright is a topic that everyone should consider. But not everyone wants to discuss it for fear of showing the world they don’t know anything about it! LOL!
I’ve been using Creative Commons for many years.
This link http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ph/ will show everyone that this is an {Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Philippines (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) }
It means all must attribute my work to dmagdalene (with link). It should be used for non-commercial purpose and you may not alter, transform, or build upon this
work.
Creative Commons work in the sense that I am telling the world how I want my work to be used and the Non-commercial clause makes sure that work I created freely will not be bound by monetary gains. It will not really deter anyone from doing otherwise but for now the paramaters had been set and I have the choice to do the next step if I feel and see that my rights had been violated.
Have a great weekend!
@))–>>—-
Thanks so much for dropping by and providing the link. I found that and your article very helpful. I am becoming more convinced this is the way to go. I really appreciate your insight. Big thanks!
If you want to be a writer, or should I say if you want to publish, and you post anything on your blog about what you’re writing or want to write, then I think maybe you should protect it. Writing is so personal, and if I suddenly found my nurtured ideas the property of someone else because they managed to publish or get credit or get paid for it first, I’d be heartbroken (and pissed).
No doubt. I agree that for those who put their creative writings on their blogs, for example, a chapter from their book or poetry, they might want a little more protection. I suppose you could argue the same about a blog post, but it feels somehow different to me.
Thanks for commenting!
I agree. I wasn’t sure if you meant about private life posts or “writing” (la de daaaahh…) (I’ve been watching Downton Abbey, so I can’t stop thinking la de daaauuugh lately. Even brushing my teeth with a pinkie in the air).
If someone posts pictures of their kids. bday parties or opinions about fashion shows (no profit attached to their blog) and someone else feels the need to copy it as their own, it’s not a legal worry, it’s a psychological one. In that case doesn’t WordPress protect you by warning them to behave? I too cannot fathom why people behave that way but sadly I know tons who seem to have been fostered by hyenas or something. A
A “psychological worry”–I like that!
http://rtewrite.wordpress.com/disclaimer-or-something-like-that/
Just how I feel about it. Not advocating others to follow suit. HF
Thanks so much for linking that for us. I’ve been so focused on the legal aspects, that I didn’t even consider just writing up a nice disclaimer like that. What a clever idea. (But anyone who reads your blog already knows you are clever!) I may have to think of drafting something like that up. But I promise I won’t steal yours!!
Absolutely. Back in the day (gosh, I hate that expression, but still, I love to use it. go figure). Anyway, back in the dark ages, I would write something, seal it tight, and mail a copy to myself. Thus, I allowed the US Post Office to verify when I had written the story. That served as my Copyright. Unfortunately, I was published so rarely and in such obscure publications, no one stole even one line from me! It was depressing! Now I tell people they can have it and they still don’t take it! That’s even more depressing. Maybe I should find another line of work. Hmmm, undertaker, maybe? HF
I don’t think I can add one of those creative commons licenses to my site and I’m not too worried about people using the content on my blog (half of the time I don’t want to admit ownership so who’s going to take that? lol) I DO however worry about some of the pictures I use and my book contents.
My books are NOT copyrighted (I use the copyright symbol with the year to scare others…lol. Is there a way to do that legally and free?
Also…now I’m starting to worry about the picture I used for my erotic collection book cover. I always google “free” when I search for pictures to use but what if it belongs to someone and they see it and decide to take legal action?? Yikes! I have no idea how to handle this. Lulu offers free pics for cover art. Maybe I should just redo the cover that way?
I’m no expert in that area, but it seems you’re better off using an image where permission is granted, just to be safe.
From what I’ve read, most people would start by just asking the person to remove the image or text. I would imagine that works most of the time, and legal avenues aren’t needed. And again, I’m referring mostly to blogs here.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ok…so no need to panic then. I will work on changing the cover. I’m not that crazy about it anyways…thanks Carrie.
I don’t have a clue where I stand. I’ve checked out copyrighting, but haven’t decided what I think. The creative commons sounds good for blogging though. I know I’d probably never go to court over anything. Why? Maybe if I was J.K. Rowlings and had something to gain, but court costs would eat me alive since I’m not J.K. Rowlings (last time I checked, at least).
Your thoughts are aligned with mine. I think I’m going to explore the Creative Commons option. It allows you to list what others are able to use (with credit) without needing to contact you. That way if someone wants to reblog me or, God forbid, quote me, then they can feel free to do so.
Thanks for weighing in!
Ha. Guess what meeting I had to attend at work today right after I commented this morning? Copyrighting. A lawyer came in and talked to us and I’m kind of more confused than ever. I think lawyers do that on purpose for job security. Every question we asked him, his answer was, “Well, there’s a sliding scale in court on issues like that,” or ” Well, it gets tricky there.”
Basically, every creative thing we do automatically has a copyright (you don’t need the little C symbol to copyright). If you plan on enforcing your copyright, you’d better register it. Creative Commons is a good way to go, and like the comment above said, there are different types of Creative Commons you can use (some where your content can be used and changed, others where it can’t be changed and source must be documented if used, etc).
The lawyer made it sound like going to court is hardly ever worth your time in a copyright case (unless you’re a big business trying to put another competitor out of business–Nice.) There is a Digital Millennium Copyright Act for information on the web. He covered that quickly, but basically it sounded like if someone steals your picture or info and uses it on their website, you can send them an official DMCA letter that demands they take it off their site immediately. If they do, there’s no issue. If they don’t, I guess you get a lawyer and spend all your life savings.
Thanks so much for the info! That’s kind of what I was thinking. I guess if I make a change, I’ll go for the Creative Commons. At least then, people don’t need to obtain permission for simple uses (depending on what level I pick). Of course, that assumes someone wants to reproduce my drivel.
Thanks again. I appreciate you taking the time to stop back and update us. I’m sure others will find it helpful as well. Have a great weekend!
Are you in the US? Not sure about the specifics there, but in Australia, it’s automatic for everything you create
The © is just for decoration. So are the lawsuits 
Funny article!
Yes, I’m in the US. And it is true, technically the minute you create something, you’re “copyrighted”, but from what I understand, this can be tricky, and that’s why, if one is going to pursue litigation, the copyright registration is important.
I guess maybe I just better eat more trail mix and think on it!
Thanks for commenting!
I’ve never heard of that type of trail mix, but since I’ve seen the photo, now I have cravings. Haha ahhh food.
Just loosen your belt before you eat it. There’s stomach expansion involved with that naughty concoction…
Thanks for 0ffering up a heaping helping of anxiety along with that trial mix.
(Just kidding.)
I mindlessly slapped a copyright on my site a while back after someone said we should. (I wanted something cutesy, but I really was mindless.) It seemed harmless and I’d just found a site that offered a link to a “free” download of my entire book!!! That really ticked me off so I jumped at using a copyright. Now I’m feeling hoity-toity about it and rethinking.
Especially because after renaming my site, for some reason Google was using the copyright as a description of my site. YIKES! That definitely looked hoity-toity!
RE: Jacquie – Some time back I also started using my own pics. Last week I went thru the entire site and removed all pics from other sources. (Another long story about using pics, but I won’t go there.) I’ve also learned to not use the “share” button on YouTube. Now I just link to them. But I’d like to figure out the water mark thing.
Two years ago I approached blogging (and anything on the internet really) as putting it out there and oh well oh well and knowing that you own the rights the second it’s created anyhow. I think I’ll go back to that mentality and lighten up.
Another great post
You are too funny!
Thanks for the compliment and for stopping by! And thanks for sharing your experience. I really don’t know how I should proceed, and I appreciate hearing from others. I just worry that putting a copyright symbol on my site may scare people away from using any of the material. As long as they credit me, I’m really not too uptight about it being used. When I was fortunate enough to be Freshly Pressed, I was reblogged over a dozen times. Really didn’t bother me. I guess I would feel differently if I was putting my fiction on my site, but I don’t intend to do that.
Guess I still have some thinking to do!
Huh. I’ll have to do more research on this. Good thoughts. Good thoughts. And very wrong of you to post a photo of Caramel Cashew trail mix. I have a trail mix addiction, and I am headed to my pantry right now to feed the need. Yum!
That stuff is so naughty that I only bring it home on occasion. And it is best not to check the calorie count. Some things are better left secret!
Thanks for visiting!
I have been thinking about this lately, but I share the same idea, why would anyone take my material. It is laughable. But, I do think I need to change the RSS setting or something. Maybe slap up a copywrite symbol for whatever it is worth. Great post
Thanks! I’ve also read that copyright can be difficult for bloggers in the sense that they are constantly adding new material, and so they should register every 3 months or so. Maybe the Creative Commons is the way to go–that way, people don’t need permission for certain things, like a reblog, but it helps ensure you’ll get the credit.
Thanks for taking time out from your busy Freshly Pressed week to visit me!
Hiya
I’ve gone for the ‘try and do it yourself’ copyright statement for mine – well I actually got the idea from someone else’s but can’t remember which one now… I couldn’t make head nor tail out of how to get the dratted ‘real’ ones on my blog!
I decided to do it because almost every picture on my blogs were taken by me or my husband – and I’m technically inept (ok far too lazy) to watermark every image, it seemed like a ‘cover-all’. I use them as banners as well, and have no idea how that would screw their ‘artistic feel’ (well, how pretty they look anyway).
I’ve started being really careful about images I use that aren’t ours as well, making sure they show where they came from – in fact I tend to rely on Zemanta to give me images I can safely use…
J
Hi Jacquie! I appreciate your reply. I could see where you would want to be careful with original images, as I think these are easily lifted through online searches. But if you just do it on your own, does that give you any legal standing should you want to pursue the issue further? Technically, anything one produces has an implied copyright. However, it was my impression that fighting such an issue can be difficult if not legally copyrighted.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I think you’re dead right – I don’t expect there to be a legal leg for me to stand on
I think I put it in there just to make people think – maybe appeal to their consciences – before ripping me off…
Then again, even if I had a ‘proper’ one, I doubt I could afford the litigation to enforce it if it happened…!
J
So true. Who has the time or money?